Grubb Family blog

Goodbye

2009-12-28T23:57:00.002-06:00

Well goodbye family blog - I'm moving to http://www.danagrubb.blogspot.com/. It's been nice, but it's time to go. Thanks to Tyson and Sarah for helping me with the new look!

Gigi Strikes Again

2009-12-16T22:37:00.007-06:00

My mother taught me to knit. She patiently showed me how to knit, purl, yarn over, cast on, etc. She was a master "knitter". I'm not sure that's actually a word, but oh my goodness she loved to knit. I've got some beautiful sweaters that she made and I just love them.

So I dusted off my knitting needles as I became a grandmother. I made these little hats for Camryn and Emery. Here's Emery. Just enjoying her hat. Way to go Emery.

And here's Camryn NOT enjoying her hat - trying to take it off. Sarah said she barely had time to take the picture before Camryn yanked it off. Oh well - she looks adorable in it.
And by the way, there are countless books and videos online that show you how to knit, but it's not the same as when your mother shows you how.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SARAH AND TYSON

2009-12-14T14:47:00.004-06:00

Am I counting right? SEVEN years? Wow. Here is the happy couple during their rehearsal dinner. I'm sure everyone remembers the awesome fajitas and the ice cream from Marble Slab. I have a picture of Tyson in a sombrero that I will probably post next year. Heads up Tyson.

This is a picture I took during Sarah's bridal portrait session. I don't think I was supposed to take it, but I did and I just love it.

Happy Anniversary - A Day Late

2009-12-10T10:23:00.004-06:00

Happy 3rd Anniversary Beth and Matt!

What We Did Today

2009-12-04T21:23:00.013-06:00

When I taught Kindergarten, I used to send "What We Did Today" notes home. I would take pictures during the day and during my lunch 1/2 hour I'd print a few out with script to explain what was going on in the picture. Well here's my "What I Did Today" for Friday, December 4, 2009.

First of all, I went to WalMart cause I was totally out of just about everything. But I got there early, had a list and was victorious - less than $100 spent - yea me. I will NOT buy chocolate Kisses wrapped in Christmas colors - I will NOT - yet.

Next I skyped with Sarah and Camryn - who had clapped for the first time today! Camryn, not Sarah. She was so adorable and I got to see it. I wish I had taken a picture, but did get a picture of this later on in the morning - SNOW!! It only lasted for about 10 minutes, but it was in the 30's all day today. It's really there if you look hard enough.

Then guess who came over!!

Beth was working on a little sewing project and needed some expert help - which she didn't get from me, but between the two of us, I think we figured it out.

When Sarah was here at Thanksgiving, they decided they would applique these cute snowflakes to onesies for their girls. Anyway we weren't sure how to finish the edges. But I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to sew it to a placemat! FYI Sarah if you read this, we decided to blanket stitch it, cause neither one of us could zig-zag it neatly enough.

While all the sewing fun was going on, OK read Emery a little book called I Am a Bunny. I've also got a picture of him reading it to Beth when she was a little girl (somewhere).

And he TRIED to read it to Camryn when she was here at Thanksgiving, but she was too busy crawling around and playing with the jingle bell toy.

Finally - just finished the Christmas tree. Here's a picture. It's looked pretty much the same for the last 20 years, except for the bows at the top!

Well, now that I look at this picture - you can't actually SEE the bows so never mind!

I Love Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T21:38:00.018-06:00

Well I do love Thanksgiving. First of all THANK YOU for cool, delicious weather! Growing up in South Texas, it was summer all year long, so I love the change of seasons. Tyler is beautiful in the fall. And YES, thank you for Grandchildren. I just adore them.
I like this holiday because you don't have to DO anything except cook, and eat and be thankful. No costumes to make, presents to buy, trees to decorate, Valentines to mail or eggs to hide. Just be thankful. Take a breath, play some games, watch a movie or take a walk. Well truthfully I'm not crazy about all the dish-washing, oh well.

We've eaten with Tyson's family the past few years and this year it was Janice's time to host. I wish I had taken a picture of her tables because they were so pretty. So inviting and so special. I brought a Cajun fried turkey and some mashed potatoes. Sarah made a broccoli/cheese casserole, Beth whipped out a pumpkin cheesecake, Janice and her family brought a ham, a green bean casserole, fruit salad, dressing, gravy and MOMO rolls.
This is Tyson and Sarah and Momo - Tyson's grandmother - and she makes rolls ... really good ones.
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I'm thankful that our daughters are such amazing moms.
I'm thankful that Tyson and Matt are part of our family now - they're such good dads.
Did I mention that I'm thankful for grandchildren?

Christmas Calendars

2009-11-13T16:21:00.014-06:00

When Beth and Sarah were small, my mother (Grandma Hall) gave them a Christmas Advent Calendar that she made. It was so cute! It was made from felt and in each little pocket there was an ornament to put on the tree.

She must have loved sequins because EVERYTHING had sequins on it. There was the little train at the bottom of the tree....
Each ornament was adorable and sequinney and cute...

Each day during December, the girls would look forward to putting an ornament on the tree. Actually I STILL look forward to it! Here's what it looks like with all the ornaments.

SO I had to make one for Camryn and Emery (and their siblings)!

Honestly, mine are not as detailed, but I think they turned out nicely.

Love, Gigi
PS: Grandma Hall also made elaborate Christmas tree skirts, which I will NOT be doing !

Dedication Day

2009-11-02T08:38:00.004-06:00

Emery Elizabeth was dedicated at Glenwood yesterday. One of our elders always holds the baby as they are dedicated and prays for him/her. Of course Beth and Matt asked Greg to do that for Emery! It was a special morning.

This is the blessing that the church read to her:

"We rejoice to take Emery under our care. We seek God's grace to be a community in which the gospel is truly proclaimed to all. We will support you and minister with you as workers together in Christ Jesus and heirs of His promise."

Afterwards we all came to our house and ate King Ranch Chicken. Like I said, it was a wonderful day!

It's Pumpkin Patch Time

2009-10-31T21:22:00.020-05:00

This weekend we took girls to the Pumpkin Patch. And by "the girls" I mean Camryn and Emery. Beth and Sarah used to be "the girls", but they've been replaced, plus they are young women now and it's time to pass the title on. Sigh.

We went to Moore Farms, which is a family owned farm in Bullard. I used to take my kindergarten classes out there every fall. They have hay rides, a corn maze, and pumpkin fields. They always sat the kids down and read them a story. Plus there were lots of chickens running around and believe me, kindergartenrs get excited when chickens run around. Where was I?

Oh yes - "the girls" and the pumpkin patch. Here they are. Ready to roll!

We decided that the hayride and corn maze were a little advanced for our group, so we opted for a few photo opportunities instead. Plus we've had a monsoon around here the last few weeks and yes, it was muddy. Very muddy. Can I just say that it isn't easy getting babies to look at the camera and smile? Camryn - Camryn look over here! Camryn?

Here's a cute one.
I like this one too.
He's such a good grandaddy!
Don't you just love the hair?
Isn't she cute!
Before I go, I must include this picture! Beth would want me to, I know. This was taken in October,2003 on an ETCA field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. She looks good with a chicken!

Trunk or Treat 09

2009-10-28T23:09:00.008-05:00

Here are a few pictures of "Trunk or Treat" or better yet "Emery's First But Not Last Ballerina Costume Night". Or something like that!

She did great for a long time - just looking around and taking it all in, but then it was sleepy time.

EMERY - you know that Snickers are better than Milky Ways!

Emery Elizabeth Madison

2009-10-21T08:16:00.017-05:00

Emery Elizabeth is adorable! We love her so much. Here she is just minutes after she was born on August 17. Her daddy is in love with his little girl. This was taken when she was about a week old - oh the beautiful hair! And yes - we think she's a Mini Matt.

Once again - THE HAIR - so cute. Still just a week old here.

She looks good in any animal print! She got dressed up for our Labor Day party.

Her mommy loves her too.

She loves to wiggle and talk!Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks. I can't get enough of her!

Birthday Getaway 2009, White Mountains NH

2009-10-05T08:28:00.006-05:00

Some pictures from our trip. This is the summit of Mount Washington as viewed from the base station, 4000 feet below. The base station is where we got on the Cog Railway to go to the summit. This is a view of the eastern slope of Mount Washington from the Pinkham Notch Information Center.

On top of Wildcat Mountain...

Hanging out with Mr. Black Bear in Gorham...

Getting a hug from Mr. Black Bear in North Conway in front of Zeb's General Store...

We had a great time!

Emery Gets Her Picture Taken

2009-07-16T07:12:00.009-05:00

As a birthday gift for Beth, Matt arranged to have a 4D sonogram taken at Storkvision. So last Friday his parents came and we all gathered around the screen - nothing. She (Emery) wouldn't cooperate - the girl just couldn't get a clear picture. But we all went out and ate Mexican food afterwards, so the chips, salsa, fajitas, etc. made everyone feel a little better.

On Tuesday afternoon, Beth, Sarah, Camryn and I went to Storkvision to try again. Greg was a little late because he'd been to the eye doc with his dad, but made it just in time. Again - Emery wouldn't cooperate! As you can see from the picture she had her hand in front of her face and WOULD NOT move it. The sonographer had Beth move, walk around, turn over, proded her, etc. Nothing. The owner came and they both prodded, pushed, etc. You get the picture. Emery still wouldn't move her hands. Then Camryn woke up and started to cry (really loudly) and things begin to happen! All of a sudden the hand came down and there she was. I think she heard her cousin - well maybe.

Beth thinks she looks like Matt :>) He also bought her a diaper bag - so cute.
Emery Elizabeth, it will be so much fun to see you in person!

Father's Day

2009-06-22T13:30:00.008-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our Father's Day lunch. Greg got some new Nikes from the kids. He also got a card from Beth and Matt that had the baby's heartbeat recorded on it!

Speaking of babies - here's Camryn, up from her nap. Cute huh.

Are they making the same faces?

Camryn got a little fussy - hard to believe I know. Anyway Greg took her to the porch to look at the trees.

Wait a minute, what's that I see? Well aside from the cute little elbow dimples.

Yep - baby spit bubbles :>)

By the way, family - we asked Greg's dad to come over for lunch and he said he didn't feel like eating lunch. Greg went by later that afternoon!

The Bump, The Belly, The Bethie

2009-06-04T15:15:00.005-05:00

Just wanted to give everyone a little "status update" on Beth. She looks adorable, and is buying baby clothes, getting the nursery ready and picking out which hospital to go to. So - lots to do, but it's all pretty exciting.

Just 89 days to go!

Baby Love

2009-05-30T08:01:00.003-05:00

I've spent the last few days in Carrollton while Sarah finishes up with school. She's such a good mommy. I think that Camryn agrees with me!

The Komen

2009-05-13T09:38:00.008-05:00

A group from Glenwood participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in honor of our friend Stephanie - she's the one in the pink hat. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and had her surgery yesterday. But on Saturday, she participated in the race!

Our little family showed up: Greg and I walked and Beth and Matt ran (of course). Please note Beth's cute little bump!

They estimate that over 5,000 participated in Tyler. The start was incredibly crowded.

Here's Beth and some friends from church.

And here's Beth waiting to start. She left us in her dust!
Matt of course was so far ahead of us that I didn't get a picture of his start. Let's just say he had to wait a little while for us to finish!

Sleeping Baby

2009-04-28T21:43:00.004-05:00

Sarah, Tyson & Camryn came for a Tyler visit last weekend. Tyson's brother Kevan is getting married to a sweet girl named Katie in May. Anyway their shower was this weekend, and so we had company again.Camryn did more than sleep, but she really is pretty good at it! Well she's good at everything as far as I can tell.
And I know that it's not nice to take pictures of people with their mouths open, but babies are different, so the rules don't apply.

INTRODUCING.....

2009-04-20T08:26:00.004-05:00

Sweet Baby Girl Madison. We were VERY excited to find out last Monday that Beth and Matt are having a girl! I can already tell that she's adorable and precious. She's due on September 1st and Beth is doing just great.

Ouch!

2009-04-16T18:00:00.001-05:00

Poor Camryn got 3 shots and one oral vaccine yesterday. It was painful to watch!

Dedication Day

2009-04-01T16:22:00.005-05:00

Camryn was dedicated at Sarah and Tyson's church on Sunday. It was a special day with lots of family in attendance. This is the blessing that was read to her by the whole church!

CHILD'S BLESSING

Child of God, you are a blessing to us, and we now bless you. Always remember that you are made in the image of GOD! You are His, always seen, and forever loved. We pray that the Lord will give you joy and peace. We pray that as you grow, your faith and knowledge of your creator will grow, and that you will choose to live a life committed to Jesus. We pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith. And we pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Matt's Birthday

2009-03-18T08:12:00.004-05:00

Today is Matt's birthday! What a great guy and husband for our Beth - plus I know he'll be a good dad too. We went out to eat at Jake's (downtown). I got him bike training DVDs and Greg got him a sensitive card that made noises and laughed at how old he was. I bet he liked my present best! Then we started to eat - and it was good.

We all shared a dessert and my only regret is that we left a little on the plate. After I got home I wanted some more coconut bread pudding. Oh well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!

I Can't Stop Myself

2009-03-07T10:10:00.011-06:00

I hope y'all aren't tired of pictures of Camryn, because I really can't stop myself! Yesterday we went to Carrollton for the afternoon.

Camryn and Greg. His grandpa name is OK - you'll have to ask him about that.

Sarah is SUCH a good mommy.

She's a good daughter too.

We took Camryn to her first restaurant - the Tin Star in Plano. It's only right that it was Tex Mex!

It was lots of fun.

Gigi and Camryn

2009-03-05T17:54:00.003-06:00

Yes, my grandmother name is Gigi. It stands for Grandma Grubb - GG - Gigi. I was actually named by a friend at church. He asked me what my grandmother name was going to be and I teasingly said, "Well how about Grandma Grubb?" He kinda got a funny look on his face like are you kidding me? (And yes I was kidding.) Then he said, "Hey you should be GG!" And that's it. So here's Camryn and Gigi.

Branching out...

2009-03-02T17:26:00.003-06:00

Hello Family,

I decided to create a space for the Madison's in blog world, come check it out. It's still in the works (big time!), but it's a start! I hope you all are doing well!

www.themadisonlife.blogspot.com

Camryn

2009-02-27T18:18:00.013-06:00

I got home yesterday after spending a week with Sarah, Tyson and CAMRYN. Seriously I'm going through withdrawal - so I thought I'd make myself feel better and post some pictures.

Tyson calls this the "baby burito". This swaddeling technique works! Sarah and Tyson wrap her up when it's naptime and she calms down and goes to sleep.

Occasionally she would get one arm free, but she still slept.

She does not like baths, but she does like having her hair washed.

Beth came for the weekend - she just couldn't stay away.

We went for walks - the weather was beautiful. Camryn slept every time!

She is so loved.

Sarah and Tyson are doing a great job.
CAMRYN - YOU ARE SUCH A BLESSING!

Camryn Joy Kirksey

2009-02-15T23:13:00.003-06:00

Camryn is here! Welcome to the world sweeetheart.

Israel

2009-02-13T06:12:00.022-06:00

We returned from our trip to Israel late Wednesday night and I wanted to post a few pictures. Actually I'm going to post a lot of pictures so get ready. It was quite a journey for us and I don't just mean in miles. I really didn't know what to expect from this trip. I read about Jesus, I pray to Him, I praise Him, I sing to Him - but now I've been to the place where he was born, where he walked on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where he preached the Sermon on the Mount, where he died. It was kinda overwhelming and very real.

So I think I'll just post Day One today and the others as I have time.

We started our first day in Caesarea - an ancient city on the coast of the Mediterranean. A lot of what we saw was built by Herod the Great to impress the Romans. First we visited the theater where Herod made a speech in his royal robes and Acts 12 says he was immediately struck down and eaten by worms because he didn't give glory to God. Anyway our guide says most likely a public address like that would have been here.

This is our guide Heni an Arab Christian who pretty much overwhelmed us with information the whole time.

Our preacher Jeff Christian reads from Acts 10 about Cornelius getting a vision from God to send for Peter - he was living in Caesarea.

Here's Greg taking it all in.

Herod built an amazing palace on this point.

Herod's swimming pool - freshwater.

Paul also made his appeal to Caesar in Caesarea and was sent to Rome from here. The next picture is the aquaduct that served the city. One of our group decided he could stack some rocks and climb on top.

We, however were not so adventurous and walked down to the beach to touch the Mediterranean. Oh and please don't judge my hair in any picture you see of me. I couldn't get my curling iron to work the whole time and I need my curling iron.

Haifa was our next stop. Heni said it's a city known for it's religious tolerance in this violent country. We went to an overlook - the Ba'Hai temple is in the background along with Mount Hermon. Again the hair - it was windy ok?

We drove to Mt. Carmel and had lunch - I ate a falafel every day at lunch - Greg ate something called a schwerma which is chicken in a pita. Anyway good food. On to the site where Elijah had his confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Heni read the story from 1 Kings 18 .

A view from the top of the mountain down into the Kishon Valley - Elijah had the 450 prophets of Baal slaughtered there.

On to Meggido (also referrred to as Armageddon) - one of the most ancient sites ever excavated on the planet according to Jeff (our preacher). "It is actually an artificial hill formed by thousands of years of building, each new city being built directly on top of a recently destroyed one." (Jeff again).

The Solomonic Gate - obviously built by Solomon.

A Canaanite alter.

As I took this flower picture, a large group of F-16's flew over with all their power and noise. Just a reminder of how complex and unsetteling Israel can be.

SOO - a little long. I'll try to reign it in on my next posts. We were there for nine days and I took around 400 pictures. Just think it could be worse!

You Better Shop Around...

2009-02-09T14:30:00.005-06:00

This past weekend, Matt & I had a chance to go see Sarah & Tyson ONE last time before Miss Camryn Joy's big arrival. I think we are all getting one last visit in before the big day, Tyson's Mom was coming in the afternoon we left. We got to their house around 7:00 Friday night and they took us to this great pizza place, which I can't remember the name of (oops!), we had so much fun listening to their stories and eating ALOT of pizza. We got Matt back to their house so he could rest up for the Texas Half the next morning, and got the tour of Camryn's new room.

The next day while he was running we went SHOPPING! Tyson & Sarah had a few more things to get for Camryn at Babies R Us and I am the lucky one who got to go with them. I think they have the largest Babies R Us in America at their disposal. Maybe I am just used to ours in Tyler which is a corner of the Toys R Us, but this one was as big as a Target, amazing! It was also completely overwhelming, there aren't a few kinds of cribs and car seats but HUNDREDS! Tyson & Sarah were so calm and collected and knew just what they needed. Here are all the pics, yes, I was that obnoxious person following them around the store taking pictures, but I am a proud aunt and I knew my Mom would be proud too. I had so much fun with you guys, and I can't wait to see her sweet face!

Proud Mom & Dad getting started!

Extensive Diaper Genie Research

Seriously, hundreds of choices!

And when you can't decide, just get them all!

The end result!

Updates on Duane

2009-02-05T20:06:00.002-06:00

Here's Darby's latest update:

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 05, 2009 07:12 PM, EST
Duane went into surgery about 2 this afternoon. It lasted 2 hours and he did very well. No complications or problems. The surgeon said that he took the fluid out of the tumor which immediately relieved the pressure on surrounding brain tissue. He said the fluid was consistent with that of some type of tumor. It will be Monday or Tuesday before we know what type of tumor it is. He was only able to remove about 15 % of the remaining tissue. He said it looked like the tumor was somewhere in the middle of its development.
Duane will be in ICU overnight. If there are no problems, they expect to move him to a regular room sometime tomorrow and he may even be able to take a shower. They did not have to shave his head and when I saw him in recovery he did not even have a bandage. His color was good and he was talking some in between cat naps. I will update further either later tonight or in the morning. Thank you all so much for your prayers. It means so much to us that you are so caring.

This is the address for the Caring Bridge site: http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewJournal.do?method=executeInit

This is the thanks I get!

2009-01-17T17:03:00.003-06:00

I recently did a favor for some friends and this is what I got as a "thank you". My name - in chocolate - wow. How fun is that!

Coss Christmas 08

2009-01-05T08:54:00.011-06:00

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas this year. It was quite chilly outside, but warm and cozy inside!

Christmas Eve Dinner was Ham, green beans, real mashed potatoes and the ever popular crescent rolls.

The poinsettias barely survived the 6 day power outage (I bought them the day before it went out).

It was so nice to have all of the kids home this year!

We had church at the usual time since it was Wednesday night, so it was nearly 9 pm before we started opening presents.

Kaitlin does it with flair!

Duane was excited about his new lantern!

And Kaitlin loved her quesadilla maker...

And her Wii...

And her Wii Fit!

After Christmas Kara and Jerry got another present...Jerry has passed all of his CPA exams!

Camryn Cutie

2009-01-04T23:44:00.003-06:00

Last Friday Sarah had a 3D sonogram and here is a picture of the picture.

I know it's kind of hard to decipher, but basically this is a picture of her face - her mouth is slightly open, her eyes are closed, and her hand is curled under her chin. What you can't really see is the adorable dimple in that cute little chin!

A Ciudad Christmas

2009-01-03T08:16:00.014-06:00

As you probably know by now, the four Osteen's went to Cozumel, Mexico, over Christmas for several reasons. This was a vacation combined with meeting Dulce, who is the young lady we sponsor at Ciudad de Angeles, and helping with the Christmas activities for all of the kids at Ciudad de Angeles. We left very early Christmas morning to fly out of Atlanta and had a 2 hour layover in Houston along the way. It was 2:30pm CST when we arrived in Cozumel on Thursday.

Friday was our "knock about" day when we experienced Cozumel as a tourist. Frank and Rebekah played golf at the Cozumel Country Club while Scott and I puttered around the hotel where we were staying. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, 80 + degrees with a nice breeze most of the time.
The rest of the time we were there was spent with the kids at Ciudad de Angeles. We helped another family from the Atlanta area with the activities that were planned for the kids for Christmas. On Sunday, we took Dulce out to lunch after church and did some shopping. We had gotten word when we arrived on Thursday that Dulce had been baptized on Wednesday of that week. It was great to spend time with her not only as part of our family but also as our new sister in Christ.

Family picture taken after church on Sunday.

This is the front of the church at Cozumel.

Picture of Dulce being baptized.

We returned home by way of Houston again on Tuesday about midnight. We learned a lot about the kids and the work at Ciudad de Angeles.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2008-12-26T16:32:00.020-06:00

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land, our family was gathering, a celebration was planned.

The presents were wrapped.

The puppies were walked.

The girls started cooking.

The boys talked and talked.

When what to our wondering eyes did appear, but Grandaddy Grubb in suspenders, hear hear!

The dogs were excited. Tanner started to dance. But with our Amazon lists, nothing was left to chance.

Beth got her mixer and Jake got some sweaters. Tyson got a movie and Matt got some letters. (Actually it was a compilation of the New York Times front pages for the last 100 years, but I couldn't fiture out how to rhyme that. Also it was a surprise gift from Sarah and Tyson.)

There were cookbooks and cameras and doggie toys. There was a Beatle's anthology for my special boy.

But the person who received the most numerous gifts was our dear sweet Camryn - we love you - that's it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TYLER

Camryn

2008-12-21T23:00:00.004-06:00

Actually Camryn Joy - it's a beautiful name!!

Happy Anniversary, Sarah & Tyson

2008-12-13T22:19:00.003-06:00

I think they love each other!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Finally

2008-12-10T20:39:00.007-06:00

I think I'm almost, kinda, sorta, maybe finished with putting up our Christmas decorations this year. But I'm not sure. I have a nativity scene that some friends brought Greg from Africa and I haven't found the perfect place for it, but I'm working on it!

Here's our family tree - my mother beaded the tree skirt when Greg and I first got married. It's so pretty and makes me think of her.

I look forward to putting up the Christmas village each year. It's the first thing I get out. I have four pieces and don't want any more. It's perfect and makes me feel all "Christmasy".

On year my mother announced, "I'm not doing Christmas any more!" I think I was almost 40 and I couldn't believe it. No Christmas? Anyway, I came away with her collection of salt and pepper shakers - and I love them too. Beth got me the reindeer in Houston this year. They're payback for me keeping the granddogs. Aren't they cute?

I really can't explain my affection for these mechanical Christmas creatures. You push a button and they play Christmas music. Another thing that makes me smile at Christmas. The new edition this year is the black dog on the right. I played it for Tanner and Bruiser while they were staying with us. Tanner sniffed it and walked away. Bruiser hid behind my leg and barked. Silly dog.

Hey wait a minute! How'd that cow get here? I guess it's really a Christmas cow.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Anniversary Time

2008-12-08T21:24:00.004-06:00

Happy 2nd Anniversary Beth and Matt!

Kirksey Christmas!

2008-12-07T08:03:00.011-06:00

Although it has taken me a little longer than usual, my Christmas decorations are finally up! We're not planning on having a party at our house or having guests stay with us this year, so I wanted to share with someone out there! :)

Here is our tree...it even has a couple of presents under it! :)

And here is our fireplace and mantle all decked out! I made the stockings a couple of years ago, and the wreath was last year's project. I guess I'll need to make another stocking for our new addition next year!

And this is our bookshelf (also in the living room) with garland on top and a sparkly nativity scene on the 2nd shelf.

Our Christmas plans this year include time in Tyler with each of our families, time in Houston with Tyson's extended family, and a family trip with Tyson's parents and brother to an undisclosed location...it's a surprise! :) We'll be going, going, going just like every year, but we feel blessed to be able to see everyone with our time off. I hope your Christmas is full of blessings, family, friends, and the joy of Christ!

Testimonies

2008-12-03T21:55:00.007-06:00

We had a special night at Glenwood tonight. To honor the advent season, two young couples were asked to give their testimonies about the recent births of their children. Austin spoke with great sincerety about their struggle with infertility and how he saw God working in every aspect of their lives. They now have a new son named Tyler who is an answer to many prayers. Susan and Blake told their story of committment and excitement as they welcomed their daughter Scarlett into their family. He said that even her name is a reminder of the beautiful sacrifice of Jesus.

Surprisingly I was asked to share my thoughts on anticipating the birth of a new grandaughter. So of course I had to show a grandbaby picture on the big screen. Isn't she so cute!

I called Tyson today and asked if I could share their story and he said, "Of course, we just want to give God the glory." So I hope I was able to relate to my church family a glimpse of Sarah and Tyson's time of waiting and anticipation - how God truly blessed them with healing and a baby. Go to their blog at http://www.thekirkseys.blogspot.com/ to get all the details.

Of course I had to show Sarah in all her glory on the big screen.

Uh huh - the big screen :>)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T21:58:00.008-06:00

The Grubbs and the Kirkseys got together again this year for Thanksgiving. We cooked, we ate, we played games - I think we ate again. Then it was over.

Sarah made "Momo Rolls". That is Tyson's grandmother's roll recipe. They were delish.

Beth and Matt went to Houston, but we got the granddogs.

Beth says I'm not supposed to give them treats, but it was Thanksgiving, so some turkey may have fallen on the floor, and the dogs may have eaten a piece. But that's just a possibility.

I think they must be talking about world peace - nah probably what's for dessert. Which was by the way pecan pie, chocolate pie, and cranberry trifle.
So - it was fun, it was fast and it was fattening!

It's a Girl Thing

2008-11-16T15:02:00.007-06:00

This weekend Sarah and Tyson came to Tyler! So Beth, Sarah and I went to Mistletoe and Magic - the local Junior League Christmas Bazar. It was crowded, but fun. I bought my first Christmas present - earrings for Beth. Shh, don't tell her. Oh wait a minute, she picked them out. Since Sarah doesn't have pierced ears, she was uninterested!

What cow? Do you see a cow? I don't see a cow. OK, here's the deal. The lady at the jewelry booth noticed that I was having a little hot flash so she let me have her fan from Chick-fil-A. It's my favorite thing now. However, I think the cow must be mad at Sarah.

We came home - I made chicken enchiladas for supper. Beth brought some homemade biscotti and pumpkin crunch. So delicious. Then we played Speed Scrabble - Greg is the undisputed winner of that game! We also played Shanghai Rummy, a game that Tyson's mom and dad taught us.
I think Tanner and Bruiser wanted to play too. Tyson helped his parents remodel a house they are working on and Matt went for a bike ride that afternoon. Clearly the girls in this family really know how to have fun.

The Bump, The Belly, The BABY

2008-11-08T19:55:00.007-06:00

Greg and I went to Dallas this weekend to attend a conference called Elderlink, which obviously is for elders. It was all about shepherding, legal issues for the church, generational differences, etc. You get the drift. We stayed with Sarah and Tyson and I had to take a picture of the "bump". So cute!

Actually I played hookie Saturday morning and Sarah and I did a little shopping and had lunch.

This is just a random picture that I took in our backyard last week - I wish you could smell the flower too! Hey maybe they could name baby girl Camelia - Camelia Kirksey has a certain ring. Well probably not.

Trunk or Treat

2008-10-29T21:38:00.008-05:00

Once again our church (Glenwood) had a Trunk or Treat party in our parking lot. It was a beautiful Fall night and lots of people came! Beth and I shopped at the local Halloween store for costumes and creepy stuff - spiders, dry ice, snakes, etc. I picked up lots of chocolate candy at Sams. Naturally I had to sample all the different kinds - I just finished an Almond Joy. I promise I won't eat any more candy - really - I promise.

Beth sent Matt to buy his own costume and this is what he picked out - yep it's a penguin. When he first started putting it on I thought Power Ranger? Duck?? Penguin??? Just when I thought he couldn't surprise me he goes and does. Ah Matt.

It was surprising how many people wanted to take their kid's picture with the penguin. But here are a few family pictures. First wife and penguin.

Then mother-in-law, penguin and wife. No jokes about "witchy" mothers-in-law, please.

Then father-in-law and penguin. So we had fun. The only snag was the plastic tub I put the dry ice in was cracked and water leaked all over my trunk. Oh well. Matt says he already planning how the penguin will show up next year: Surfer Penguin, Lawyer Penguin, etc. Happy Halloween!!!

Saturday Night in Tyler

2008-10-18T19:57:00.005-05:00

Boy, we really know how to have fun in Tyler on Saturday night. First we ate hamburgers and then Greg made a fire.

Time for Speed Scrabble! In my life, I've never beaten Greg at a word game, but it was close, and it was fun. This is my puzzle - a little messy with a few tiles left over - whatever.

Here is Greg's puzzle - precise, neat, and of course the winner!

Happy Birthday Sarah

2008-10-07T17:22:00.021-05:00

Sarah turned 26 on October 3rd, so naturally we all gathered in Carrollton to celebrate on Saturday (the 4th). First things first - we ate a sandwich and then were ready to play Settlers of the Cattan. It's a fun game, confusing game, lots of rules game, but the important thing is that my team won. Thank you Tyson.

Next it was time to open presents, but not for Sarah. They were for a certain little someone that Sarah hasn't blogged about, but I'm posting these pictures anyway. Sorry Sarah - Gigi can't wait.

Aunt Sassy (Beth) couldn't resist, so she bought this cute onesie. It says, "My Aunt Loves Me".

We all went to church (didn't take pictures of that) and then we went to eat at The Macaroni Grill - ooh pasta.

We went back to Sarah and Tyson's house to open presents and eat cake (red velvet). Sarah got lots of maternity stuff, but the purple purse was just for fun. Tyson gave her a book on decorating a baby room. Ahh.

On Sunday morning we rode the Dart to downtown Dallas to see the King Tut Exhibit at the Dallas Museum of art. What a great exhibit.

Part of our ticket included a 3-D movie about the pharoahs.

Oh yes, "The Boys" came too. They're so much fun.

Again, Happy Birthday Sweet Sarah - we love you, had fun, ate too much, and just generally enjoyed ourselves so much.

Baby Update

2008-09-16T17:03:00.001-05:00

Hi family! Well, I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on Baby Kirksey. I just got home from my 16 week appointment, and my doctor said that everything looks great! I have gained a couple of pounds (and inches!) in the last 4 weeks, my blood pressure is great, and the baby's heartbeat sounded perfect. So, I didn't learn much, but it was all good news. I will be going back on October 2 for a sonogram so that we can find out the baby's sex. Tyson will be coming with me to that one, and we are both really excited to find out! Thanks so much for all the prayers that I know y'all have been sending up for us and the baby...keep it up! :)

Love, Sarah

Ike Strikes

2008-09-15T17:01:00.004-05:00

Hurricane Ike blew through Tyler last Saturday! We had lots of wind and a fair amount of rain. There are so many of trees down in Tyler. This one is on a lot that Greg owns. I drove through a neighborhood near ours, and saw huge trees down on the roofs of two houses.

Our yard was (is) littered with branches and twigs, but thankfully our big trees stayed put.

Beth and Matt lost power and spent Saturday night at our house. There were trees down at both ends of their street and they had to exit their neighborhood through the cemetery across the street. She's talking to Sarah about baby stuff - I think it took her mind off of things.

Dad never lost power, so our family made it through. Ike was gone by Sunday morning and we had a beautiful day with blue skies. Tyler is filled with people who evacuated and who knows when they'll get to go back home.

My Aunt Babe

2008-08-25T14:52:00.003-05:00

My Aunt Babe passed away on July 17, 2008. She was born in Brownsville, Texas on December 24, 1909. Her real name was Laverne, but her parents called her "Baby", finally naming her after a year. Anyway the "Babe" part stuck. Obviously you should name your children a little sooner than a year after their birth! Oh well - different times.

She was my mother's older sister and she married my father's older brother, George in 1933 and they adopted a son, Alan in 1945. They lived most of their married life in Odem, Texas - Uncle George farmed cotton,wheat and one year I remember sunflowers. Alan was killed in a carwreck in 1967 and Uncle George died in 1977, so she and my mother (a widow too) moved to West Texas in 1980. Far, far away. She lived in Junction until she was 95 with only a little help, and in 2005, she moved to Tyler.

So those are the facts about Aunt Babe, but there's more. She loved my Uncle George - he was funny, handsome, and charming. In her last days she would say in her sleep "George, my George" and smile. One day I tried to get her to talk about her wedding, but she wouldn't - just clammed up. A mystery.

When I was a kid, she was always happy to see our family when we visited, and made sure we had horses to ride, or the lake to visit, croquet to play. Did I mention she was a good cook?

She was a real outdoorswoman. She loved to hunt and was a great shot. She kept a loaded 410 shotgun behind the dining room curtain, and a pistol by her bed. She was disappointed that she couldn't bring her guns to Tyler, and was sonly slightly comforted by giving them to my brother-in-law, Bob. When I packed her things after she died, I found 2 hunting knives carefully tucked away. Guess she felt like she needed protection!

She loved to play cards and was in a Bridge group until she turned 96. I remember playing canasta with her at Thanksgiving when she was 95, and it was serious business - she played to win.

She never gave up really. She lived through wars, hurricanes, The Depression, the death of everyone in her family (except for me and my sister). Who knows what else? Ninety-eight years is a long time. Three weeks before she died she was going to exercise class and enjoyed going to the dining room to be with people.

Her last days were difficult but she didn't really complain. She did ask, "Why can't I get well?" Hard one to answer. Always had a sense of humor. The night before she died I held her hand and told her she was my favorite aunt. With her eyes closed she smiled and said "I'm your only aunt!" She is the last grownup who knew me as a little girl, so I guess that means I'm all grown up now. Sigh.

A couple of nights ago I dreamed that she came and sat on our couch to keep us company.

Is This Thing On???....

2008-08-21T21:32:00.003-05:00

Hi family!! Well, it's been a month since anyone posted (and much longer since I've contributed!), so I figured it was about time! :) As some of you already know, I have a baby on the way! I am due on February 27th, and Tyson and I are thrilled! I have been feeling generally good so far, and my doctor says that everything looks "normal and perfect!" Those were good words to hear! It will still be another 6 or 7 weeks before we find out boy or girl, so we will just have to wait patiently until then. I would post the sonogram pictures that I got about a month ago, but according to Beth, it looks more like cauliflower than a baby! :)

Other than that, this week I have been getting ready for my 5th year of teaching 6th grade science. The kiddos start back on Monday, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them. I always tell people that the kids are the best part of my job, but most of them don't believe me! The meetings, paperwork, and some testy parents I can live without...the kids are the part that keep it interesting and fun! (I hope all of my fellow teachers out there are saying Amen!)

Also, I have joined the bandwagon and started my own blog! I figured that every mommy or mommy-to-be nowadays has one, so I should too! I'm still figuring the whole thing out, but you can check it out at thekirkseys.blogspot.com

It was so wonderful to get to spend time with y'all this summer at the family reunion! Thanks for enduring the Texas heat!

Duane's New Hobby

2008-07-27T20:46:00.013-05:00

Duane has taken up a new hobby this year--mountain hiking. He has gone twice with coworkers. In late May he hiked Mount Liberty and last Friday he hiked Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette. All three are above 4000 feet.

Mountain hiking in NH is characterized by a lot of up and down trails that lead through some really scenic places.

And then there are the top-of-the-world vistas that make you feel like you have really accomplished something!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-14T07:52:00.001-05:00

I wanted to wish all of the Dads in our family a Happy Father's Day. I couldn't find anything more appropriate than what this poem says. Hope you all have a great weekend!

DADS are special people

Dads are special people
No home should be without,
For every family will agree
They're 'SO NICE TO HAVE ABOUT' -

They are a happy mixture
Of a 'SMALL BOY' and a 'MAN'
And they're very necessary
In every 'FAMILY PLAN'

Sometimes they're most demanding
And stern, and firm and tough
But underneath they're 'soft as silk'
For this is just a 'BLUFF'

But in any kind of trouble
Dad reaches out his hand.
And you can always count on him
To help and understand -

And while we do not praise Dad
as often as we should,
We love him and admire him,
And while that's understood,

It's only fair to emphasize
His importance and his worth -
For if there were no loving Dads
This would be a 'LOVELESS EARTH'.

~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

Countdown to Grubb Family Reunion

2008-06-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Our 25th Anniversary Trip

2008-05-31T12:33:00.004-05:00

Frank and I returned late Thursday night from our 25th anniversary trip. In order for Frank to work around his job constraints, we needed to go a little early. So the day after I finished school for another school year, we left for San Francisco. We decided to visit San Francisco for a couple of reasons. We had a lot of friends tell us that it was a great place to visit. I had never been to California. Of course, an added bonus to going to San Francisco is getting to see Michael and Virginia. We had contacted them prior to going and they gave us some great advice. Additionally, once we got there they gave us the personal tour of the area and their great home. They have a panoramic view of the entire bay area from their balcony.

While in San Francisco, we visited the beach, the mountains, the forest, the bay, a marina town, a golf icon and a world famous aquarium. You can see all of our pictures from the trip at our flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/josteen/sets/72157605275789127/
You can read our trip blog at: http://osteensftrip.blogspot.com/

Let Me Eat Cake

2008-05-29T20:08:00.004-05:00

Here's what I served at our Memorial Day get-together. Yes, it's a flag cake. I don't normally take pictures of food, but Sarah and I were talking about our recent dessert attempts and here is mine. So this is for you Sarah. I got the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa's cookbook titled Family Style. The icing is so rich that I cut the butter and cream cheese in half and it was still good. The red stripes are supposed to be raspberries, but who can afford that - so I settled on strawberries. I think I could eat cake 3 times a day!

It's Zoo Time!

2008-05-24T19:59:00.010-05:00

We have a beautiful zoo in Tyler. The zoo had it's beginnings in the backyard of D.K. and Lottie Caldwell's home in l937. It consisted of a parrot, 2 squirrels and a monkey. Today it's a beautiful zoo and really worth the trip. I have so many memories of our family at the zoo and don't even get me started on the times I took my kindergarten classes there. Beth remembers when Lottie Caldwell came and spoke to her third grade class. She was quite a lady. We saw lions, and tigers.....

but no bears!. We did however see penguins.

Beth wanted to see the meerkats, but their little town was deserted and they were sequestered behind a big fence. Beth called it meerkat jail. Oh well.

The East Africa vista is beautiful. How can giraffes be so graceful and at the same time awkward looking?

Greg walked the zoo with no problems. What a change for him. He still has a slight limp and some muscle pain, but he's so much better. The turtles were really frisky today. We saw a couple (turtles that is) fighting and then a little girl described this as "dancing". Oh well.

What a nice day - thanks Beth for suggesting it.

Memories

2008-05-10T20:29:00.003-05:00

Oh yes, of the way we were! Greg and I celebrated or 32 nd wedding anniversary last Friday. We went out to eat - he ordered blackened swordfish, I enjoyed rainbow trout stuffed with crab. I make this kind of food everyday, so it was no big deal. You don't believe me? Well actually our hamburgers were a little blacked tonight, but that was sort of accidental. I asked him what he remembered about our wedding day and he said, "well not much". Men.

I still have the dress - yes it's a little tighter and Greg still has the tie. It's the only one he owns and he wore it for his "elder picture". It is light blue with seagulls - be still my heart. By the way, do we have the same hairstyle? Oh well.

Rebekah's Photo Shoot

2008-05-03T20:13:00.005-05:00

Rebekah seems to be too busy to post for herself on the blog so I will share some pictures with you that she shared with me. She organized a photo shoot for her friends. They went out to places in Franklin, Tennessee, to do the shoot. She wanted to do it "family style" so they are all dressed alike. I thought they were really good. I wonder what you all think (yes, I know I am a little biased). Enjoy!

Sarah and Tyson Come to Town

2008-05-01T19:23:00.004-05:00

We got a visit from Sarah and Tyson last weekend! They came Saturday morning and stayed till Sunday afternoon. It was a fast trip, but we loved having them. Tyson's dad (Tim) had a birthday, so they came to help celebrate. Sarah and Tyson divided their time between us, Beth and Matt and Tim and Janice. Whew! Because the weather turned chilly we couldn't (A) go to the zoo, or (B) sit by the pool, so we (C) went to a movie on Saturday afternoon. We saw "Leatherheads" which is about the startup of professional football and only OK in my opinion. Then Greg and I had plans with friends, so the girls and their guys went to eat Mexican food and talk (without Mom and Dad). On Sunday, Sarah and Tyson went to church and lunch with Tyson's family and then it was back to Carrollton.

Happy Birthday Dear Paw Paw

2008-04-22T19:24:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Dad's 80th birthday at Red Lobster last Friday night. Beth took this picture with her iPhone and what a good smile! We all enjoyed the cheese biscuits (they are so good) and Dad ate a plate full of fried shrimp. He brought all the cards that he had received and Matt remarked that he really got a lot of cards! Our server Daniel recruited the other servers to sing the birthday song and they sang "Happy Birthday dear Paw Paw", etc. It was pretty funny and made Dad laugh. Happy Birthday Dad and many more!

Update on Spring in NH

2008-04-20T18:38:00.004-05:00

Just thought I would share the update on our snow cover. Duane took these pictures today. Looks like I was wrong. The snow will probably all be gone before May gets here. It is possible for us to get more, but it wouldn't last very long on the ground if we did. The honeysuckle on the lamp post is starting to leaf out, and, you can't see them in these pics, but my peonies are even starting to pop up!

Tyler Azalea 10k

2008-03-30T13:31:00.009-05:00

Yesterday Beth and Matt competed in the Tyler Azalea 10k. Yes, another athletic event. It was a perfect morning for running: 55 and cloudy. There were lots of people there. So many in fact that I never connected with them before the race. The course went through Tyler's Azalea District: "mile after mile of azaleas, dogwood trees and spring flowers that you have to see to believe." That's from the brochure. Anyway here we go!

Do you see them? Well neither do I. Oh well. The guy in the yellow t-shirt finished either 1st or 2nd in just under 30 minutes. The start was a little crazy. Like I said there were lots of people there.

Matt finished 3rd in his age group - woohoo! I can tell that Greg was very proud of him.

Beth finished 2nd in her age group - another woohoo!

There were snacks for the runners after the race. Beth told me not to take a picture of her with her mouth full, but she's just so cute. I'm sorry Beth.

The winning couple! Apparently there was an awards ceremony which I missed and they both got medals. And yes - Matt has cut off all of his hair - he said he's tired of paying for haircuts.

The azaleas really are beautiful right now.

Spring In NH, Part 2

2008-03-28T09:05:00.005-05:00

And, this morning, we woke up to this! We are expecting about 6 inches of new snow before it is all done.

Pretty, isn't it?

Just puts you in the mood, only not for spring!

Hope you enjoyed this little look at our world!

Spring In NH

2008-03-28T08:32:00.005-05:00

I call this one "Oxymoron". Yes, that IS green grass growing right alongside an icy snow bank.

While the rest of you enjoy balmy breezes and 70 degrees, this is what we were looking at yesterday morning. It is beautiful, but when you've been looking at it since December, it does get a little old. We've had a stretch of very nice, sunny weather and even one day in the 50's this week, so I'm not really complaining.

Our mailbox is on the right amid the steel posts we put up each year to keep the snow plows from running over it and destroying it. Being at the end of a cul-de-sac, they would love to just plow straight down the street, but we discovered they are actually respectful of the steel posts. Notice the large pile of snow. At one point this winter, it was over 8 feet tall and so filled the street that we had to call them to come rearrange it so that emergency vehicles would have access to our property if we needed them.

A small victory! No snow on the roof!

Snow bank next to the driveway. It is about elbow high at this point, but at one time was taller than my RAV!

Next, part 2!

Spring Break Rules

2008-03-22T20:16:00.015-05:00

Did you know that there are Spring Break Rules? Here are a few examples: eat what you want, sleep when you want, stay up as late as you want, and read lots of books. When I first started teaching, I ignored the rules and spent my spring break spring cleaning, doing yard work and other silly things like painting rooms or doing laundry. But then I decided on a few rules such as the above. I have added another: visit your teacher daughter and make her take you all over the Metroplex doing different things. First we stopped at Grapevine Mills Mall for a little healthy lunch.

We weren't going to shop, but as we were walking out the door, there was Banana Republic and J. Crew, so Sarah tried this on but didn't like it. I thought she looked adorable.

I bought flip-flops at J. Crew for Beth, Sarah and myself. But really this is considered survival footwear in Texas so I had to do it.

Our goal was to go to The Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth to see an exhibit of early Christian art. Beth and Matt had seen it the previous weekend and gave it a good recommendation, so off we went! Sarah was such a good driver and we made good time. The exhibit was amazing. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I didn't realize that until I snapped this one. One of the docents let me know! The art is on loan from the Vatican, Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art to name a few.

We moved on to the permanent exhibit: everything from Picasso to Rubens. Pretty fascinating. (It was ok to take pictures.)

Sarah said this guy was "fierce". I think she's been watching too much Project Runway.

There were also lots of antiquities.

I see the resemblance - don't you? No jokes about antiquities, ancient, old, etc.

Later we ate what we wanted, slept late, watched TV and went for a walk. Truthfully when I got home I did some laundry. Oh well. Sarah thank you - I had so much fun with you and Tyson.

The Birthday Boy

2008-03-21T22:28:00.002-05:00

Matt was 28 on Tuesday so we went out to eat Mexican food - of course! And by the way, he only spilled a little salsa on his white shirt. Beth and Matt went to Southlake (his hometown) last weekend and his mother made him two cakes. What a girl. He ran in a sprint triathlon that weekend and did well. Happy Birthday Matt!!!

Strange weather

2008-03-07T17:18:00.002-06:00

The weather has been doing strange things here in Arkansas lately. After the deadly tornados last month, we just had TWO snowstorms in the same week here! This picture is from today's:

They're predicting between 2-4 inches by tomorrow morning. I still had to go to work today, even though every school district and university in the city cancelled classes. Oh well, it's a good thing I learned how to drive in New Hampshire!

No She Didn't!

2008-03-07T11:13:00.002-06:00

Well yes, she did! Beth ran in the Texas Half Marathon February 10th. Matt ran with her to cheer her on. We expect these kind of things from Matt, but honestly I was a little surprised when Beth told me she was going to compete. The race was at White Rock Lake in Dallas and she finished in 2 hours and 4 minutes. I'm so proud of both of them. What's next?

Woohoo!

2008-02-20T15:10:00.003-06:00

I guess that if Greg can shovel dirt, pick up trash around the lake, and take a walk through the neighborhood he's officially better! I know that it's been at least a year since he went walking just for fun.

He still has a slight limp, but it is slowly going away. He finished the physical therapy last Friday and now does the exercises the therapist recommended every day. It's so good to see him up and around.

Besides - you never know when your friends the ducks will come see you if you go outside.

Winter Wonderland - Tyler Style

2008-01-21T11:20:00.000-06:00

It snowed in Tyler last Friday - for about 5 minutes in the morning and then 5 more minutes in the afternoon. In-between it was rain/sleet/rain. I think you can see the awesome accumulation of the white stuff on the patio chairs - if you look closely. I was doing some "power shopping" with Beth in Target at the time and made her walk to the front of the store with me so I could see it. Since I'm from South Texas, I didn't really experience snow until Greg and I went skiing at Red River when I was 26. Anyway it's always a treat.

Snow in Georgia

2008-01-19T11:05:00.000-06:00

When we woke up this morning, we had all rain. The rain has quickly turned to snow. We are under a Heavy Snow Warning. It is supposed to snow all day and not taper off until tonight sometime. The low tonight is 19. I'll add pics to this slide show as the day progresses. A morning trip to Waffle House and Kroger proved fruitful. We are well stocked with milk and other necessities. Yes, I know that Darby is probably laughing at me by now but us southern folks are kinda excited bout the snow! :)

The Sons-in-law

2008-01-15T19:37:00.000-06:00

I love and appreciate my sons-in-law! Last weekend Sarah and Tyson made a quick trip to Tyler. Always a good thing. We ate together and Matt cut up the brisket for me. A messy job. Yes, he is trying to feed Sarah a piece of fat, but that's beside the point. Tyson washed the dishes - oh what a wonderful world. Thank you Tyson. I am not a neat cook, so it's not as easy as it sounds.

Besides all that - they're just great young men. They are smart, funny, hard workers, faithful Christians. Oh yes, they're good husbands for my daughters!

Christmas In Tyler

2007-12-26T21:15:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve was fun!

Tyson shopped for and then wrapped a last-minute present for me. Thank you Tyson.

Beth and Sarah helped cook, set the table and wash dishes. I love my daughters (handmaidens)!Sarah and Aunt Babe made fruit salad. Christmas Eve is also Aunt Babe's birthday. She turned 98 - amazing. We had turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, green beans, broccoli and cheese, rolls and chocolate pecan pie. Whew! Oh yes, lots of dishes.

After lunch we gathered for the gift-giving. Tanner and Bruiser are ready to go.

Dad won the prize for the biggest presents.

Greg is doing better every day and got a coffee maker from the kids.
Sarah and Tyson.
Beth and Matt.
Tanner and Bruiser.

Christmas Eve in Atlanta

2007-12-24T21:22:00.001-06:00

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! Here's a little "look" into our Christmas Eve.

A Winter Wonderland!

2007-12-21T09:49:00.000-06:00

I've been home for one week and it has snowed 3 times already!

Here are pictures from New Hampshire's snowiest December in 37 years:

During Thursday's storm:

Getting the mail:

Our street:
Friday Morning:What a change from Arkansas!!

Greg Is Home!

2007-12-15T18:35:00.000-06:00

Greg came home from the hospital yesterday - yea! He is still having difficulty walking and the pain is constant, but manageable. He will begin physical therapy next Monday or Tuesday. The therapist will come to our home three times a week. He's making progress every day, so we're encouraged that recovery is just a matter of time.

Happy Anniversary

2007-12-14T18:41:00.000-06:00

Happy Anniversary Sarah and Tyson - I can't believe it's been five years!

Greg's Hip

2007-12-13T16:08:00.000-06:00

Greg is still in the hospital! The original plan was for him to come home today, but no such luck. Everyone in his knee and hip group therapy class graduated and went home today, but Greg missed the party because he was getting a sonogrm and more x-rays.

The good thing is that Dr. Volatile says that everything looks ok, and it should be just a matter of time before he starts feeling better. He thinks that during surgery the muscles were moved or cut and that is the source of Greg's trouble.

He has shown improvement today and walked down the hallway for a good distance. So please pray for a recovery!

Baby Steps

2007-12-11T18:02:00.000-06:00

Greg is doing pretty well after his hip resurfacing operation yesterday. Dr. Volatile said that the x-rays looked great and he expects a good recovery. Day 2 however has been rough! We have been warned that this would happen, but the reality is pretty unpleasant: lots of pain, can't get comfortable, etc. However, Greg has been so brave and willing to do whatever it takes. The nurses got him up, dressed, and in a special recliner early this morning. He got light-headed after taking a few steps, but it was still progress.

While one PT (Sharon) would gently pull on his right leg, the other (Rolanda) would gently push and before you knew it he was walking. They speculate that his right leg is weak because he has been limping on it for so long. He went to group therapy this morning and then had another round of individual therapy this afternoon.

Thank you to everyone who has visited or called. People came and prayed over him, a busy doctor friend brought me lunch, a sweet sister showed up with warm biscuits early this morning. Wow. Our family has been wonderful - Jake, Beth, Matt. Tyson's dad (Tim) is visiting with him right now.

We expect him to come home on Friday, so please pray for healing, pain management and progress!

Happy Anniversary

2007-12-09T08:02:00.000-06:00

Happy Anniversary Beth and Matt!

Running for a cause

2007-12-08T12:07:00.000-06:00

Here's a Dallas Morning News story that will warm your heart! Tom Brown is our family lawyer, Katie is his daughter, Will is his grandson. Enjoy!

Midland runner Katie Butts cradles her son Will Butts at Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas.

Midland woman organizes marathon team to give back

10:16 PM CST on Friday, December 7, 2007

By DEBBIE FETTERMAN / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
dfetterman@dfwrunning.com

As a runner, Katie Butts of Midland knew about Wellstone's Dallas White Rock Marathon. But she didn't know about its beneficiary, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, until her unborn child was referred there.

"We knew our baby had hand and feet differences," said Butts, 27, from her home in Midland. "We were scared to death. Scottish Rite made us feel safe."

Will Butts, born Aug. 30, is healthy, happy and oblivious to the fact that his hands and feet are not fully formed. The Butts family, grateful beyond words, started formulating a way to show its appreciation before Will was born.

Butts knew she could support Scottish Rite by participating in the race after passing the marathon display case on her initial tour of the hospital. During the car ride home, she contacted running friends, who helped her organize a team.

"It gave me something to focus on and plan for and think about," she said. "I love projects."

The "Where there is a WILL, there is a Way," team grew to 213 members. The majority -- 150 friends, family members and a few strangers -- will run the marathon, the half marathon or a relay. More than 50 others will cheer for the team, all of whom will sport royal blue T-shirts.

"It just shows how closely tied the race and the hosptial really are. It benefits both of us," said race director Marcus Grunewald.

Butts, her husband Reagan, her sister-in-law, Melinda Hall, and her dad, Tom Brown, formed a family relay. Brown will run two legs, and Butts said she would push Will in the stroller in what she hopes will become an annual tradition. Grunewald made a special exemption to allow the stroller.

Limb differences were evident on an ultrasound in June.

"The doctors came up with several possible diagnoses," Butts said. "We were scared to death. We didn't now if our baby would survive."

They shared the situation with their friends and family because they needed the prayer and support. Eighteen well-wishers were on hand after Will was born.

Butts said it's overwhelming to know more than 200 people have come from Midland, Waco, Tyler, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, Austin, Tennessee, Missouri and even Canada.

"We didn't expect ourselves to be in this position," Butts said. "We've learned a lot and grown a lot. We wouldn't have it any other way."

She recalled how shocking and unexpected the news was. A multitude of doctor's appointments left them emotionally exhausted, frightened and with more questions than answers.

Their experience at Scottish Rite assured them everything would be fine.

"No one said anything insensitive," she said. "It's such a happy place. Their goal is to normalize life. Will can do anything he wants. He won't be stopped."

The Butts' mission now is to do as much for the hospital as they can.

"We're committed to giving Will the best we can," she said. "What a relief it was to have a place that is top in the world. Everyone there goes above and beyond with every detail. And, they don't charge a cent. We want to raise money to give back."

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-05T22:26:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from Sarah and Tyson...the elves! :) Enjoy!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1188396947

Grubbskey Family Thanksgiving

2007-12-03T22:09:00.000-06:00

For the last five years, the Grubbs and the Kirkseys (Sarah's in-laws) have shared our Thanksgiving meal. So much fun! This year we met at the Kirkseys and enjoyed quite a feast. Dad and Aunt Babe came too. Beth and Matt were in Houston with his family, so we missed them.

Janice made the turkey, dressing, gravy, and a chocolate pecan pie. Sarah and Dana brought a green bean casserole, sweet potato souffle, fruit salad, mashed potatoes and cheescake. We ate a lot.

Aunt Babe was charmed by Kevan's dog Lobo.

Kevan gave Lobo a turkey leg which he seemed to really enjoy.

The guys sat around and talked about cars and computers.The women sat around and talked about sales and shoes.

I am so thankful for my family and friends.

Spelling R-E-L-I-E-F

2007-11-14T21:55:00.000-06:00

I posted this over on my blog, but it probably needs to be here:

Remembering the old Rolaids commercials, I'm looking for relief from my hip pain and have decided on hip resurfacing surgery. The date is now set for December 10, and can be done in Tyler with the arrival of Dr. Volatile (yes, that's his real name!). The doctor believes I'm a good candidate for this procedure, but will leave the option open for total hip replacement if they encounter a problem or worse-than-expected conditions during the surgery. So, we're down to four weeks, and counting!

Fall at Harding!

2007-11-14T18:21:00.000-06:00

Over the past few weekends I've been going outside around campus to take pictures of some of the fall colors and sights. I've also been working on teaching myself a little about photography. I've uploaded a few of my favorites, but if you want to look at the whole collection and some other things I'm working on you can visit my online portfolio: www.coroflot.com/kaitlinrose

I would love any suggestions! I'm trying to teach myself and I would love to hear some things that I can improve on.

Tyler Parade of Homes

2007-11-11T15:32:00.000-06:00

This fall Greg entered one of the condos at Stonegate West in the Tyler Fall Parade of Homes. Our friend Betty Ann Davidson was the decorator and did a fabulous job! Yesterday a man asked Greg how much it would cost to buy the condo with the furnishings, so I guess that's good. However he hasn't called again, so we'll see. The drapes are from my dining room, and I said those had to come back home, but everything else was optional!

This is the living room - the tree was part of Beth's wedding decorations at our house. We decided to decorate for Christmas - obviously.

This is the dining room - Betty Ann and I shopped all over town, and everything was very affordable. The centerpiece is another wedding piece.

This is the guest bedroom - notice the naked lady above the bed!

The office - the "desk" is a kitchen table, and the top of a buffet that had doors missing. Betty Ann looked at the two pieces and just knew they would be perfect for the office. Also getting lots of comments on the zebra chair.

This is the kitchen - just adjacent to the dining room. I put the candy in as a "Christmasy touch", but people keep eating it, so I had to buy more. I was the only person in Wal Mart buying Christmas candy the day after Halloween.

The master bedroom - Greg hung all the mirrors, pictures, drapery rods, etc. He did a good job.

The master bathroom - I just love it!

Finally - porch pictures. The porch view is a beautiful wooded area that will stay green.

I am so proud of Greg and the way he has worked to make the development a success. He has always handled himself with integrity and has lots of plans for the future.

The Flint Farmers

2007-11-01T20:59:00.000-05:00

Glenwood celebrated Halloween with a Trunk-or-Treat party in our church parking lot last night. Beth and Matt decorated their truck with "farm stuff" and it was really cute. People came from all around and we gave away lots of candy. There was a costume contest, haunted house and hot dogs (of course). And yes, that is Greg in a grass skirt - I had a "Halloween in Hawaii" trunk in the next parking space!

Scrapbooking 101

2007-10-29T20:47:00.000-05:00

I admit it - I am a scrapbooking rookie. So is Sarah. She's smiling in this picture, but inside she's saying, "What do we do next!" This weekend we began a scrapbook of Beth's wedding from the engagement picture to the "It's finally over and we're going to St. Thomas" - picture. I think we're organized - after much thought, and we're off and scrapbooking. Our goal is to finish it by Beth and Matt's first anniversary on December 9th. Beth and I made a wedding scrapbook for Sarah way back in 03, so now Sarah and I are doing the same for her. So much fun and such great memories.

Hey Beth - remember these stickers? She hated them and I wanted to put them on her wedding programs. I think there may be one or two in the scrapbook!

Here's a little peek - this page only took about an hour and a half - oh well.

Tyson came too, but seemed uninterested in the scrapbooking!

The Queen's Tea

2007-10-20T11:27:00.001-05:00

Since Tyler calls itself "The Rose Capital of the United States", it's only fitting that we have a Rose Festival each year in October.

We have a queen and her court, a parade, coronation, flower show, craft fair, tours of the rose fields, etc. It's quite a social event here in Tyler and brings lots of tourist dollars to the city. While part of me thinks it's kinda silly and shallow, the other part of me loves the dresses and flowers and hoopla. This is a picture of the entrance to the Rose Garden Center. Besides being beautiful, the scent of roses was amazing.

So... Beth and I decided to go to the Queen's Tea yesterday afternoon at the Rose Garden. It's an annual event thrown by the queen's family and the whole city is invited! There are punch and cookies for everyone (we didn't see any tea), a string quartet and like I said, girls in pretty dresses.

Here are a couple of the ladies in waiting. The little girls who come to see the queen are especially adorable - brings back memories of taking Beth and Sarah when they were little.

Here is the train of the queen's dress.

The queen.

There were roses of course.

Princess Beth!

Birthday Getaway

2007-10-10T10:16:00.000-05:00

Friday afternoon we drove to Cape Cod. We spent Friday night at the Ashley Manor Inn on Route 6A in Barnstable. Cape Cod was more heavily wooded than we expected and the bay and ocean are rarely visible from 6A along the inner Cape and mid Cape. Once you get to Orleans on the outer cape, you can see the water more often from 6A.

The main part of the Ashley Manor Inn was built in 1699! It is the smaller part of the building you see here. Our room was in the larger addition along the front which dates back to the mid 1700's.
We got as far out on the Cape as the Cape Cod National Seashore. We stopped at the visitor's center then parked at a picnic area, about a 1/2 mile from Coast Guard Beach. We walked to the beach, crossing a bridge over a salt marsh along the way.

In the distance on the left is a private residence, one of a few in the area. They have quite a view over the salt marsh!

This is Coast Guard Beach. The shore line looked like this as far as the eye could see. It was about 70 degrees with a brisk wind off the 60 degree water. Most of the "surfers" had on dive suits. We watched one surfer struggle to find surfable waves. I think it must be pretty frustrating to surf on New England beaches!

This beach used to be a post for the Coast Guard. The building behind Duane was housing for the Coast Guard personnel and is now a private residence, another great view if you can handle all of the people around. Even on a cool day, there were quite a few visitors.

We hope to go back sometime and spend a whole day just exploring the National Seashore walking trails!

New York is Where I'd Rather Be!

2007-10-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

So, I know I have been a pretty bad slacker. We have been back from our AMAZING trip to the Big Apple for about 2 weeks, and I figured it was finally time to post some pictures.

We stayed for 4 nights and managed to squeeze all the tourist sights into 3 long days. We toured the NBC Studios, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, Ground Zero, the Museum of Natural History, and Central Park just to name a few. We ate some delicious (but expensive) New York food and went to see Wicked on Broadway which was absolutely amazing, I think Matt even enjoyed it. We had so much fun, but came back exhausted from all of the walking. So, here are the pics- ENJOY!

Sweet Sarah

2007-10-01T11:33:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we (Greg, Dana, Beth, Matt) went to Carrollton to celebrate Sarah's 25th birthday with Sarah and Tyson. She's officially 25 on October 3rd at 7:02 AM, but since it falls in the middle of the week, we had to party a little early.

First we ate lunch on Saturday at a restaurant called The Tin Star. Good old Texas food - soft tacos, quesadillas, chips and hot sauce.

We decided a movie would be a good idea so we drove over to The Angelica Theatre and saw In the Shadow of the Moon. It's a compelling look at the lunar landings and included interviews with most of the astronauts involved (except Neil Armstrong). Afterwards us girls did a little shopping and the boys, well just waited on us!

We trooped back to Tyson and Sarah's house for presents and a tour of the new bathroom.

Matt and Tanner decided to give poor Bruiser a hard time.

Next it was time for more food, so Sarah picked the Macaroni Grill, which was really good. One of the waitresses sang the birthday song to her in Italian. Pretty impressive.

We all went to church together on Sunday morning at the new Vista Ridge campus. Really a great experience. We came back and had a piece of cake and then it was time to head for Tyler. It was a fun weekend, and so great to have everyone together. Family is such a blessing!

Moving Day - 2

2007-09-30T22:35:00.000-05:00

OK, Dad is set up pretty well in the duplex. I gave you the address in the last post. His phone numbers stay the same. His e-mail is now jhgrubb@yahoo.com. I got his computer and CD player working Friday evening, after the phone line got transferred. We finished getting the apartment emptied out on Saturday before we left for Sarah & Tyson's. We're still working on hanging pictures and curtains.

Moving Day

2007-09-25T04:52:00.000-05:00

We got Dad moved into his duplex on Monday; well, mostly. We're both pretty tired, and there's still quite a bit of work to do this week, but all the big stuff is there, and he was able to sleep there Monday night.

The new address is 1820 Susan Drive, Tyler, TX 75703. We will be dropping the PO Box soon, whenever we can get all the address changes done. The home phone number will not change, but is not yet active at the duplex. Since DSL service is not yet available there, he will be changing e-mail address, but I haven't yet decided on the easiest transition. Perhaps Yahoo mail since that is who was supplying AT&T's service and the format should look the same for him. I'll try to get the computer set up Tuesday.

New York Style

2007-09-22T07:14:00.001-05:00

Beth and Matt are in New York! They left last Thursday and will be back in Tyler on Wednesday. They had plans to take in all the sights, go to museums, shows, shop, etc.

She called me Friday morning while they were standing in line to get tickets to the Conan O'Brien Show. She said the weather was beautiful and that their hotel was great.

PS Greg and I have Tanner and Bruiser. They just took ME for a walk.

DAD'S DUPLEX

2007-09-11T21:11:00.000-05:00

Last year Greg purchased a duplex hoping that one day Dad would be able to move in. Since both sides were occupied it wasn't possible at that time. Last month one of the tenants moved out, so Greg and Dad have decided that now is the time. Greg gave the apartment complex notice, and Dad will have to be out by the end of September.

The duplex is about a mile south of our house, and is very conveniently located for church. There is also a good "back way" to WalMart, so this will keep Dad out of the high traffic area that he's used to for the most part.

The duplex was built in the 80's and is pretty dated, so Greg is working hard at having it painted, installing new floors, replacing light fixtures, mirrors, some bathroom fixtures, etc. Dad is working hard at packing, and we expect to help him finish it off as the move gets closer. Please pray for a smooth transition and move. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths and is very spacious!

The Kirkseys go to Colorado!

2007-09-05T19:53:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to post about our trip for a while now, but a little thing called SCHOOL got in the way! I've been back at it for a couple of weeks, and things are starting to settle down a little now. (thank goodness!) Tyson and I went with his mom, dad, and brother on a 4 day trip to the Colorado Springs area the second weekend in August. We saw some amazing sites and really enjoyed the cooler air! We stayed in a great bed and breakfast called The St. Mary's Inn in Colorado Springs. The owner, Conchita, made us the most amazing stuffed French toast with orange syrup...wow!

On Saturday, our first full day, we visited the Garden of the Gods, the Cave of the Winds, and Seven Falls (all beautiful, natural attractions right around Colorado Springs). It was a busy day, but worth it to get to see such amazing sites!

-Janice and I on one of the hiking trails (with Tim and Kevan in the background)

On Sunday, we took a 1/2 day whitewater rafting trip down the Arkansas River. This was pretty cool for a couple of reasons. 1) It was fun going through the rapids, and 2) our trip took us through the bottom of Royal Gorge underneath the famous bridge. It really was an amazing site. Later that day, we drove to the top of the gorge to visit the bridge, and to see the area from the top instead of the bottom. That evening, although it had nothing to do with Colorado Springs, we all went to see the Bourne Ultimatum (Bourne movies are kind of a Kirksey family vacation tradition...the 5 of us went to NYC in July of 2005, and we saw the Bourne Supremacy there :) )

-In this picture you can see the suspension bridge at the top and a little bit of the Arkansas River at the bottom. That's where we rafted! :)

On Monday, we ate our last fancy breakfast, packed up our bags, and drove to the top of Pike's Peak. That road was super skinny, gravelly, steep, and curvy! I'm just thankful that I didn't have to drive! In the 45 minutes that it took us to drive to the top, the temperature went from 85 to 45! We had been at the top for about 15 minutes when a huge gray cloud settled over us, and it started raining and sleeting. That was our cue to head back down! Living in such a flat place like North Texas, I really appreciated the beauty of the view from the top. Thank you, Lord! :) After driving back down, we were on the road again, this time headed to the airport to come home.

(The road to Pike's Peak)

It was a great trip, and Colorado Springs is definitely a place I'd go back to someday! Enjoy the pics!

Bathroom video!

2007-08-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

No, not one of those! Here is your first look at Tyson & Sarah's remodeled master bathroom. (Tyson had to help me with getting the video to play here)

Moving Week!

2007-08-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

As I'm sure most of you probably know, Jerry and I are moving to our new apartment on Tuesday. We're very excited, as this is what our old apartment currently looks like:

Our new apartment is over on the west side of Little Rock--much closer to Jerry's work and UALR, where I'm working on my masters and am employed as a Graduate Assistant. It's a tiny bit smaller but uses space much more efficiently than our current one! The master bedroom closet is the same size as the master bathroom!

Other than packing we've been pretty busy. Grad school is really going to challenge me, I think (not that that's a bad thing) and Jerry is starting his CPA review classes. He's planning on sitting for the first section of the CPA at some point this fall. He's very excited/nervous about it, and I'm sure would appreciate some prayers!

So that's what we're up to. We will send out the new address soon via e-mail! Love you all!

~Kara